CBS News Investigations ran a segment Tuesday highlighting the proliferation of Asian transnational criminal organizations throughout rural Maine, including an interview with Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson:
From CBS News:
Maine is the newest frontier for the illicit marijuana trade, with potentially hundreds of suspected unlicensed grow houses operating in the state…
It’s part of a larger phenomenon nationwide. Thousands of illegal marijuana farms have been cropping up in states like Oklahoma, California and Colorado, according to Raymond Donovan, the former chief of operations for the Drug Enforcement Agency.
“[Maine] is a perfect location to cultivate cannabis and do it in a way that is very discreet,” Donovan told CBS News. In part, that’s because of the state’s proximity to major distribution markets in Boston and New York.
In December, after a six-week investigation, Maine law enforcement raided a home in Machias, a rural town on the southeastern coast, and found a large facility with over 2,600 plants and 100 pounds of processed and packaged marijuana.
“I’ve been doing this a lot of years, and that was probably the biggest indoor marijuana grow I’ve ever seen,” Police Chief Keith Mercier said. “It was quite an impressive operation.”
Machias Police were assisted by DEA, FBI, Homeland Security, the Office of Cannabis Policy, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.
“This is a statewide problem,” Mercier said. “The information we have says that there’s over 200 (facilities) that are actively working right now.”
Maine law enforcement has executed search warrants at at least 34 properties tied to illicit marijuana since last June, and investigations continue.
But the biggest surprise in the proliferation of illegal growing in secluded stretches of Maine may be who’s believed to be backing the operations.
“Chinese organized criminal networks that are international by nature are behind some of the biggest black market marijuana trafficking organizations that we’ve seen to date,” Donovan said.
…
Donovan said the easiest way to spot an illegal marijuana crop is the amount of electricity it uses, which Maine native Steve Robinson, editor of the Maine Wire, has been tracking. Robinson has compiled a database of suspected illegal cannabis cultivators around the state.
“These locations consume huge amounts of electricity,” he told CBS News. “In order to accommodate that amount of energy, you need to upgrade your electrical infrastructure — and significantly. We’re getting into specialty electrical equipment that is very scarce and hard to come by, especially in the state of Maine.”
Mercier says he used one of Robinson’s articles as a training tool in what to look for before executing the search warrant at the Machias property.
“Once we subpoenaed the power records from the power company, [it] was pretty hard to explain why somebody anywhere would be using that amount of power,” he said.
You can read more about the Machias Police Departments efforts here:
- Maine Law Enforcement Raids Machias Marijuana Grow, Arrests Three Suspected Non-Citizens
- At Rural Maine Marijuana Grow, Cops Find Asian Passports, Plane Tickets from China, and Stolen Electricity
Follow our the latest Triad Weed Investigative Series here:
- The Triad’s Electrician: Meet the 87-Year-Old “Frontman” for Chinese Marijuana Grows in Maine
- Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ Brother Helped Transfer Nine-Acre Black Market Cannabis Grow to Chinese National “Mother” Living in Guangdong Province
- How the U.S. Treasury Department Helps Chinese Organized Crime Transform American Homes Into Drug Dens
- Maine Sheriff Raids Another Black Market Drug House Run by Chinese Organized Crime — Cannabis and Meth Seized
- Three Chinese Nationals Caught Sneaking Into Maine from Canada Amid Asian Organized Crime Epidemic
- Another One: Turner Firefighters Discover Suspected Illegal Chinese Marijuana Grow Near Bear Pond Variety
- One NYC Bank Financed More Than 50 Illicit Chinese Marijuana Grow Houses in Rural Maine
Great reporting. Another reminder that Mainers need to be buying these properties for their families. That’s why Kamala Harris’s support for first time home buyers’ down payments is so important.
It is a great tool to reclaim ownership of our communities. No more Trump tax cuts next year. Spend the money on Americans and struggling American families.
No more MAGA GOP tax cuts for the rich. Bring back the American middle class.